Hey everyone!  Sorry for the delay of the release of this chapter!  I have just been so busy as of late!  Thank you all for your patience!  I will (hopefully) have the next chapter out within the week.




Grace:


My sundays with Sam were surprisingly easy.  He was of course sarcastic and sometimes blunt.  He was always cocky and proud of himself but it always made me laugh.  I found an escape in those mornings that we had together and before I knew what was happening we were becoming the best of friends.  Besides James, I had never had many close friends.  Of course I knew many people and I was always polite, or tried to be anyways, but I never found that it was easy to make real friends.  I preferred the time alone with myself and the woods.  A paintbrush or a journal kept me company when I was alone and I grew to love the life I had.  Sam brought a whole new dimension.  He always brought me a new story to tell and one day I found myself drawing him in my sketches.  

"I look good!"  He laughed when I showed him. 

"Well I do try."  

Without a moment's notice he snatched the paper from my hand and ran farther up the hill grinning from ear to ear.

"Sam!"  I leap up and race over to where he stands.  He holds the paper high above his head and I silently curse the fact that he's so much taller.  "Give it back!"  

He pauses to think.  "Naw.  What would be the fun in that?"  

"Sam!  You're terrible!  I worked hard on that!"
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"I know."  He says trying to be serious.  "But I've worked hard on something too and you're not giving me much credit."

I frown.  "What do you mean?"

"You know."  He says.  "All this time I've been flirting with you and you won't give me a kiss."  He winks.  "I'll only give you this back if you do me this one favor."

"Wha-"  He doesn't let me finish.  Before I can react I am pressed up against his chest and my lips are sealed shut.

"Please?"  He whispers in my ear.  

I stay silent and let him gently kiss my neck and then brush his lips across my cheek until they find mine.  I go limp in his embrace and feel the rough touch of paper in my hand.  I grasp onto my sketch but continue to stay where I am and to my surprise, I kiss him back.

Eliza:

When James came home that night all I could think about was Sam.  All day I had been getting these strange... images, I guess is the right word for them, in my head.  Sam's eyes were in almost every single one of them.  But the rest... the rest were filled with James', and so, instead of facing him by telling him what had been happening, I pretended to be contently asleep on the couch.  

He hung up his jacket and set the keys on the counter which sent a clanking sound into my ears.  Mumbling something to himself, I could just barely hear his footsteps as they made their way across the carpet.  Lifting my limp body, he took me into our bedroom and placed me under the covers.  
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James kisses my forehead and whispers, "I'm really trying to be better.  I hope you forgive me now."  And then walks away.  

When I hear the water of the shower turn on I know its safe to move.  What was that all about?  More flashes of his face flood my brain, giving me a fierce headache.  I hold my head and groan.  This has to have something to do with the images. But they're just fictional right?  They can't be flashbacks.  Sam would have recognized me if I knew him before and James wouldn't be keeping a secret like this.  Right?  

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The water turns off in the shower and I am forced to play the sleeping beauty again.  He climbs into bed next to me, the scent of him right out of the shower dragging me farther and farther into a deep sleep.

Sam:

My morning begins to Bianca in the kitchen. The smell of sausage overwhelms my nose and so I pull on a robe and take my seat at the table.

"Good morning!"  She chirps.  "Did you sleep alright hon?"  

"Yeah."  I sound distracted so I ask her back.  "You?"

"Like a baby.  Do you have to go to work today?  I was thinking that if you didn't, I have the day off and we could take a trip to the lake."  She looks at me expectantly.

"Yeah.  Yeah, I think I can get today off.  I'll call Rick in a little while."

"Perfect.  Eat up and take a shower.  I have to run to the store but I'll be back in about a half an hour ok?"  She smiles and puts a plate of sausage and pancakes in front of me.  I begin eating as she grabs her purse and walks through the front door.  

"Bye!"  She yells before closing it and driving away in her car. 

I sigh.  I tell myself everything is ok.  And I take a shower.
When Bianca comes back home I've already packed us a picnic.  "Ready to go?"  

"Yes!"  She squeals and places the bags of new clothes on the counter.

When we arrive at the lake, I have almost completely forgotten about my run-in with Eliza.  Bianca and I swim for a while and then lay out to enjoy the summer sun.  My mind is completely at ease until I see them.
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James and Eliza walk side by side, holding hands as they go.  Eliza is smiling her radiant smile.  I feel distracted by the moment until Bianca shakes my shoulder.  Everyone's eyes are on me. 

Both Bianca and James look like they've been hit by a train.  I have no idea why.  Eliza just stares at me in shock.  But she doesn't seem unhappy to see me.  The corners of her mouth shift upward into a smile but mine stay in a straight line.  The pieces all fall into place in my brain.  It doesn't make sense how they fit there, but for some reason I know that they can't be rearranged.  

I stand up, slowly and carefully.  My eyes stay locked on James. 

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Without a second thought, my fist meets his face.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"You know darn right what that was for!"  I growl.

He punches me hard in the jaw.  I fight back, beating him hard.  Bianca and Eliza rush forward to separate us.  

"Calm down!"  Eliza yells.  She grabs James' shirt and drags him off of me.

Bianca is muttering to herself and fretting about my wounds.  But my eyes see only Eliza who staring at me with so much fear that my heart breaks.  

I look away.  "Bianca, we're going."

"Sam!"

I drag her along.  

"We're going!"  I say forcefully.

"No!  I can't just leave them like this!"  She breaks away from me.

"Fine!  Then I'm going by myself!"

Eliza's sad eyes follow me.

I can't take this.  If what I think about Eliza is really really true... I've lost her.  I've lost her...


That same thought repeats through my mind as I leave Bianca and the others behind, not bothering to look back again.  A tear stains my cheek and my world falls from under me.



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